Let’s just look at all the pieces and go from there. The answer is the coaches feel the folks on the field are the best combination of talent, not individual player comparisons. The question is whether we fans agree or not.

As I tried putting this down I am saddened to realize I don’t even know our defense with all the injuries

Most NFL players average 3 years or less in a career. We know more RBs. But the reality is - exceptional talent is rare - but just as prone to injury as an average NFL guy. RBs take a beating and can be replaced with good sometimes great talent easily - which is why we draft them in the 4-5 round every couple of years. Hi Devinta, hi Ito...instead of in the first round. Elliot and Gurley and Barkley are better than Ito, but I bet Ridley has a longer career helping the Falcons.

To fully or nearly fully insure the value of a starter players contract in their penultimate contract year v. likelihood of an injury would be very expensive. So much so that any increased value from waiting until the free agency year for a larger contract would be overtaken by the cost of that policy.

A player’s agent should get as much guaranteed money as necessary to “pay the bills” on his client’s essentials - home, cars, kid’s college funds and trusts, and then let the rest be unsecured gravy.

That plus the NFL has never really figured out what to do with dual-threat QBs like Jackson.

Sorry Vandy, you have that last bit backwards. Few dual threat QBs figure out what to do in the NFL. They are no longer the fastest/quickest guy on the field and they don’t learn to slide, be patient, etc.. The only really effective “mobile” QBs have been Rothlesburger, Cam - use size to extend plays, and Rodgers and Russell Wilson scramble to extend play but look downfield.

Petrino is like Spurrier ‘90s in college to me. His play calling is so good that the scheme gets college guys and running lanes open and the QBs look great. NFL playcalling isn’t nearly as far ahead of the defenses and the QBs look average again.

Others mentioned it, but our offense is part of our defense. We can “usually” put teams behind, which then dictates less running ball control plays and more passes. This then favors our faster, shoot a gap, get a sack defense, when the O then gets into third and long situations and get off the field.

We have problems if a team stymies our offense and can stay running the back and have 3d and 3 or less and convert. But that weakness is not worth swapping to big bodies everywhere as they would not be as effective chasing down 3d and long situations we try to force teams into.

It’s interesting the scouts keep saying Jarrett and Senat are “too short”, yet Quinn knows what he wants with his DLs and they have success. I don’t know how you get leverage on a 300lb guy that is 1-3 inches shorter than the OL trying to block him.